Ultra-Fast Electric Bus Charging In China

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Originally published on EV Obsession.

A new ultra-fast electric vehicle charging station, the largest such station in the world, was recently brought online in Beijing, China.

The new station — the new Xiaoying Public Transit Bus Terminal in Chaoyang district — is home to 25 electric vehicle (EV) chargers operating at 360 kilowatts (kW), and 5 chargers operating at 90 kW. And it is indeed possible for all 30 chargers to operate at once, reportedly. The station covers an area of 26,500 m² — with the structures themselves covering an area of 1,575 m².

Ultra-Fast Electric Bus Charging In China

The station was constructed by China State Grid, and is intended to recharge the Microvast batteries installed in the new Foton electric buses used on Beijing transit route 13.

A new press release provides more:

After conversion to ultra-fast charging technology, the Route 13 fleet has improved operating efficiency while reducing Beijing’s GHG emissions. Each new bus takes only 10-15 minutes to complete recharging the battery. Charging each bus takes place 2-3 times per day, during driver breaks, with several route loops between each charge.

Compared to earlier battery swapping system adopted by Beijing to experiment on improving Slow-charge Battery E-bus’s operating efficiency and reduce down-time, the ultra-fast charging “battery + charger” system needs neither the investment and large storage space footprint for extra batteries, nor high cost complex with automated robotic battery pack swapping infrastructure, bringing obvious advantages to customers and utility companies with more rapid ROI. With future facility and charging point expansions already planned out for 2016-2020, to accommodate more routes converting to fast charge EV, Xiaoying Terminal Charge station will play a greater role in the development of clean energy public transit system for Beijing in the near future.

Hard to complain about any of that. Hopefully we’ll see electric buses enter widespread use in the US and Europe over the next few years as well.


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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